


Casualties of War

by MushroomWings



Series: Jeweled Artifacts [9]
Category: Donkey Kong Country
Genre: Human AU, OCs - Freeform, and here's the one that is not mandatory to read for the series!, at least for it to be understood, but it if you want to think otherwise on certain things then be free to do so, it's canon to me, you're free to assume this one as suggested
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-02
Updated: 2017-01-26
Packaged: 2018-09-03 16:39:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8721133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MushroomWings/pseuds/MushroomWings
Summary: The group returns to Kongo Bongo to a warm welcome home, but it soon becomes plainly obvious the demons that have haunted them on this journey have taken their toll.





	1. Dust Dancing in the Wind

**Author's Note:**

> Suggested Music Track: Auditory Hallucination or The Princess's Vision, both from Final Fantasy XII

"OK, I'll be straigthforward with all of you," DK began, making the others look at him. "I've... kind of been texting Candy to keep her updated on the events that have been going on."

"OK, cool," Diddy shrugged.

"None of you are mad?"

"Why would we be?" Dixie asked. "At least someone else knows what's been going on in case something happened to us."

"Even the events on Hitobashira and Attria?" Diddy responded.

"Well, no not that far," DK replied. "The last thing I told her was that Sodoma had been kidnapped and we were going off to the Hitobashira to rescue her. I told her I would let her know when she was safe, but with everything that's happened, I haven't gotten the chance. I'm... actually doing that right now."

He showed them the phone screen, which was filled with a very long text message doing his best to give her the short hand of it.

"She's got to be worried sick," Diddy said. "It's been, what, almost a full day since we were there? You're gonna have a lot of apologizing to do."

"I know, I know. I also told her we should be back soon."

"Dixie!" Sodoma's voice called from the deck.

"Dixie, come up here! We wanna show you something!" Cherah's chimed in.

"I'd better go see what they're on about," Dixie said, standing up. "I'll come tell you when we're closer to the island, OK?" Both males nodded and she walked up to the top.

XIV

It was a few more hours before they finally docked back on Kongo Bongo.

As soon as he was off, Candy was up and dashing towards DK, jumping on him and squealing as she showered him with kisses. DK was nearly sent to the ground, giving the others a much-needed chance to laugh. Dixie spotted Tiny, Chunky, and Kiddy amongst the group and was almost immeditaley hug-attacked by them, along with Diddy.

"Hey, woah, wait, man," Funky said, making the others look at him. He gestured to the scars and scrapes the others had "What happened to you dudes?"

"You don't remember, Funky?" Candy asked, peeling herself off of DK. "They tried fending off the person who started the whole plot, but they had conjured up some powerful enemies, and they died fighting. The Coconut and the other stones couldn't completely heal their more serious wounds."

"Is that the same reason why Cranky is missing one of his shirt sleeves?" Lanky asked.

"Yes, it is," Cranky replied before anyone else could comment, a giant frown plastered on his face.

"Well, I'm just glad you're all back safe," Bluster said, appearing suddenly from the back. He placed his hands on his hips, pouting. "I hate to admit it, but everything was just so dull around here without DK and Diddy."

"Good to see you too, ya nut!" DK said, giving the snobby male a friendly punch to the arm.

"I'm just happy everyone is back safe," Kiddy said from where he sat on Dixie's shoulders. "I missed playing with Dixie!"

"Yep! All safe!" Dixie said a little forcedly.

"Eh, what?" Tiny asked, noticing.

"Long story."


	2. The Beacon's New Task

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once they're settled back on Aqua Reef, Hikari asks Sodoma a question he desperately wants an answer to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well... I desperately wanted to edit this one more but I felt I was taking too long with it, so it will possibly be updated at a later time.

It'd been a few days, but Sodoma had managed to make it through the hardship of not returning home to her father. At Hikari's suggestion, she had visited a therapist on the second day home, and the help was trying to help her work through what had happened. The ambassador was at her every beck and call, even if it was just to have someone in the room with her.

Now, Sodoma sat at the breakfast table in her home, Hikari once again at her side, but actually doing something in her current endeavor instead of just being in the same room. Papers littered the furniture in front of her,an array of different papers that one would find to contain demotions, promotions, and general reassignments. It would be a few more months before she officially became the island leader, but there was no use in not getting things put through early, especially when some of them deserved what they were getting.

"My lady?" Sodoma looked up at Hikari, who seemed fidgety. "I know you're busy with these papers, but I did have a question, if I might speak it."

"You know you never need my permission to speak your mind, Hikari," she responded. "Especially now that I am only just of age to take over as leader. I would very much like to avoid history repeating itself."

"Then, you don't mind me asking what is to become of me?" The teenager's head lifted from where it was looking at the papers.

"What do you mean?"

"I was sent here when I was younger as a beacon of good will between your family and mine, and was to remain as such until the personal tensions between the two caused in part because of my brother's marriage to your cousin were to die down. What is your stance on the situation?"

"Well, I think it's a petty. Tell me, Hikari, if there was someone on another island you desperately wanted to be with, who you loved and they loved you back, who made you happy in a dark time, would you leave everything you had at home to be with them?"

Hikari looked down, twiddling his fingers as he thought of his significant other. "Of course. I mean, if Don resigned, I'd follow him anywhere he went."

"That's why those tensions exist. They didn't like that she made that decision, and that's why you're here with me now. I'll admit, I was part of that at first, but after everything that happened over the last week and a half, I don't see why it was ever a problem. Which I guess takes me back to your original question."

"Whatever you decide, I'll do," he said.

"I am unsure at this time, but if you're willing, I have one more spot open for an assistant. Because I'm so young, the advisors want me to have a few, and all the others I've picked so far are from this town already," Sodoma replied. "As such, it'd be no problem for you to escape the island every now and then. Where you go, I would have to know so if we don't hear back from you we know where to look, but it'd be no problem. You've been here a long time."

Hikari let the words register for a moment, before a grin broke out on to his face.

"That sounds nice, Leader."


	3. Sunbeam's Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cherah opens up to Halim about the worst part of the journey.

It was amazing the repairs to an island that could be done within a week's time, especially considering the brutality of the attack.

Halim was at his wits' end when Cherah finally returned home. She told him excitedly about Crocodile Isle and that she had gotten to meet her favorite TV star on Kongo Bongo, but he noticed by the way she acted that there was a significatn chunk in the middle cut out. After a few days, he managed to pull out what she had been told about the events on Hitobashira, and her panic at seeing new friend Sodoma's state when the rescue crew returned. She would not speak of after the point of the accursed glade, but he felt he had pushed enough. He figured she'd talk about that when she had finally processed it.

Right now, they were laying in the fields of the islands. Halim was telling her stories about her mother, and he had gone through several until he noticed the look her face, which appeared to be a cross between sadness and anger.

"What's wrong, sunbeam?" he asked.

"I... No. It's better to not say," Cherah replied. This made Halim sit up.

"Are you sure? If it's something concerning what you haven't told me about your advetures, I don't want to push, but you know I'm always willing to listen to you." Cherah twiddled her fingers.

"Well, when we were going to where the bad guys were from, we had to go through a magical gateway." Halim raised an eyebrow at this.

"Gateway?"

"Uh-huh. It needed someone who was close to the last jewel holder to have a huge enough emotional response to unlock the path."

"What?!" Halim shouted. "That's insane!"

Then it hit him.

"I saw Mama," Cherah said, taking the words right from his thoughts. "I should have been happy to see her. She didn't look sick. All I could do was be afraid, Uncle Halim."

"It was a natural response, nothing more."

"No! I was scared because I didn't want to have to relive learning of her passing and feeling that amount of despair! I didn't want to be the one who experienced that for the first time, with no one to help!"

She delved into sobs and Halim pulled her into his arms. They sat there for a good while, no words being exchanged in the process. Once Cherah had calmed down, Halim didn't let go. He didn't want to, not if her current problem was dealing with this.

"My words do not change why the emotion you felt happened, Cherah."


	4. Mother and Son

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> K. Rool and his mother sit and relax together.

K. Rool had nearly collapsed when he faced his mother again. The adrenaline that had kept him from doing so previously was gone, and the toll the Core's essence being extracted and then returned all at once sent a shock to his body. It took a few days, but he was back to his normal self despite it. The Kremlings all believed in him a little more, even after learning exactly what had happened. He had helped defeat something that threatened their way of life and their queen, and thus this elevated him in their eyes, even if he had to work with their enemies.

After few days after fully recovering, he and his mother sat together, partaking in a cup of tea. He was telling her the full story, rather than the short version he'd given to the public, even right down to what he had learned on the trip. She was smiling, and seeing this side of her made him smile as well despite the contents of the story.

"One thing still bothers me, Mother," he said at the end of the tale. Corelia looked to him, curiosity in her eyes. "Why did you call Wrinkly an old friend?"

"Well," she responded, sipping thoughtfully. "When we were much younger, she helped me out, and I am very grateful to her. We write to each other every now and again, and if we're being honest, that's part of how she was able to make that school here for the brief period she did."

"Really? What did she do?"

"Oh, Kris." Corelia's smiled widened. "All you need to know about that is that you would not be here if her help had not come my way."


End file.
